Day-in-the-Life in Our Homeschool

The first question to ask when doing a day-in-the-life post is, which day? The way it goes around here is: each year is different, and every day within each year is different.

But first, let me introduce my family in case you are a first time visitor. We have just started our 12th year of homeschooling. Here are my beautiful students: Laurel, 9th grade, and Duncan, 5th-ish, and here was our first week back. In case you missed it, here is where we do school, and this is where you can find our curriculum choices for the upcoming year.

We are the kind of homeschooling family that is frequently not at home. For 22 weeks of the year, we have enrichment classes through our local support group on Mondays. My kids take a variety of classes for five hours each Monday, including science, art, literature, computer, drama, and other classes.

On Tuesdays for 24 weeks of the year, my kids attend a performing arts co-op in the afternoon. And on Thursdays for about 14 weeks of each year, we have a full afternoon of scouting (Cub Scouts and American Heritage Girls). We also enjoy a couple of field trips each month, although those are lessening as my kids get older.

On Fridays this year, I'll be teaching a British literature class for about 20 high-schoolers, and then a friend will be teaching European history. Laurel is taking both of these classes, and Duncan will hand out with either friends or his grandparents.

One could say that leaves Wednesday as a regular, at-home days. But rather than look at these outside activities as intrusions upon our homeschooling, I consider them essential elements of my kids’ education.

Regardless of our afternoon activities, our mornings (except for Mondays) look basically the same. We begin at 10 a.m. I’m a morning person, and I do the vast majority of my own work in the mornings between 7 and 9 a.m.: writing, paperwork, various planning, exercise, etc. My kids usually sleep until 8 or 9 a.m., so they have an hour or two to get moving, eat breakfast, and watch a little television or play a Wii game.

It’s 10 a.m. now, and let’s say today is a Wednesday—an “at home” day. Here's what it looks like.

10-11 a.m.

Math. We start with math every day. Their brains and my patience are generally at peak condition, and this is an ideal combination for math. Both are doing Teaching Textbooks.

11-11:30 a.m.

If math is done, we continue on our separate ways. My 9th grader is doing nearly everything through co-op classes, so she'll be keeping her own schedule and her own timeline. For my 5th grader, we'll move on to Sonlight Core 5. We do our Bible and read-aloud. After that, Duncan has been doing his independent reading.

Since it's a Wednesday, we'll do spelling. I haven't decided yet if I'm doing spelling with my 9th grader or not. She loves to do spelling tests, but she doesn't really need them anymore. But I'll give Duncan his spelling words (we do Spelling Power). He usually misses a few words, which he copies, colors, and posts on his desk for review.

11:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Brain teasers! This is Duncan's absolute favorite part of the day. We are using Mind Benders (Critical Thinking). After a few of those, we do grammar (Easy Grammar 6), which he loves.

12-1 p.m.

Lunch break. We eat first and then scatter our own ways. I check emails and Facebook, do a little housekeeping, and maybe start supper preparations.

Duncan is allowed to play 30 minutes of Wii or DS during lunch break. Laurel can get online.

1-1:30 p.m.

Back to language arts. I do reading comprehension with Duncan (Spectrum 6) and more Sonlight reading.

1:30-2:30 p.m.

Geography or art. We don’t do these every day, but we have extra time on Wednesdays. For geography, we will watch a Netflix documentary about whatever country we are reading about in Sonlight, cook something, or make a craft from this country. For art, we will read from our 100 Masterpieces book and then maybe do a project of our own.

2:30-3 p.m.

More read-aloud time. We read some more from our current book and then discuss what we’ve read.

3 p.m.: School’s out!

When I think back through our years of homeschooling, I am amazed at how different each year has been and how varied our daily schedules have been within those years. Every year our lives adjust to yet another new “normal.”

I'm linking up with the Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop at Heart of the Matter

Not Back-to-School Blog Hop: My Students

This is my beautiful daughter, Laurel. She'll be a freshman.


This is our Christmas baby, Duncan, who will be in 5th grade this year. Sorta. Or is it sixth? Here's how I feel about grade levels.

In case you missed it, here is where we do school, and this is where you can find our curriculum choices for the upcoming year.


And I would be remiss if I didn't include a photo of our firstborn, the guinea-pig, the one who started it all. This is our oldest son, Jesse, who is 18 and will be leaving for his sophomore year in college in just a week. And yes, we did homeschool him all the way through high school and he is thriving—not just surviving— in college.

Linked up with the Not Back-to-School Blog Hop at Heart of the Matter

Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop: Curriculum

In just a few weeks I'll be Starting Year 12, this year with a 5th grader (age 10 1/2) and a freshman (nearly 14) in high school. Our older son (18) will be returning to Nashville for his sophomore year in college. Click on the link to my article on The Homeschool Classroom to see how we begin a new year.

My daughter will be starting high school, so for the first time, my younger two will be doing completely separate studies. You can read all about what she'll be doing at High School, Take Two on Simple Homeschool. I have two changes since I wrote the post back in May. The question everyone asks is: So what will she be doing for science if we aren't big fans of Apologia? Sheepishly, I must admit that she'll be doing Apologia's Physical Science through our co-op. It just didn't work out for my husband to teach a science class this year, so, yeah... The second change is that she'll be taking a class on Excel and Powerpoint through our co-op. I think this is the class she's most excited about taking! For everything else and more about starting high school, please visit the link to my Simple Homeschool article!


And so for the first time ever, I'll be doing a Sonlight Core with just one child. I'm excited to get to do Sonlight Core 5 (now called Core F) with Duncan. This study of the Eastern Hemisphere was my absolute favorite Sonlight Core. I can hardly wait to read our way through the continents again with Ghengis Khan, Commodore Perry, Ghandi, Mother Theresa, and so many more memorable characters, real and fictional!

Sonlight will be the foundation—literature and history— for Duncan, and we'll round out our days with a variety of other resources.
* Math: Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra
* Grammar: Easy Grammar 6
* Spelling: Spelling Power
* Critical Thinking: Mind Benders
* Reading: Besides doing Sonlight readers, he'll be taking my literature circle at co-op. The theme is "Extraordinary Adventures," and we'll be reading Battle for the Castle, The Phantom Tollbooth, and The Indian in the Cupboard.
* Handwriting: He'll continue in whatever book we didn't finish last year.
* Writing: First semester, we'll just do writing as it comes along. Second semester, he'll be taking my creative writing class at our co-op.
* Science: He'll be taking two science courses at our co-op. One is called Mission to Mars, and it will culminate in a trip to the Challenger Mission Center in Chattanooga. The other is a chemistry-based one. I may also do botany at home with him.
* Performing Arts: Shakespeare class at one co-op and flags (creative worship) and drama at a performing arts co-op.

Besides the academics above, the kids are both extremely active in scouting programs: American Heritage Girls for Laurel and Cub Scouts for Duncan. We do tons of badge work that adds another whole dimension to learning, and the kids both learn great leadership and teamwork skills.

We still have a few weeks before we start, but I'm getting excited!

Linked up with the Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop at Heart of the Matter. Blog hoppers, leave a comment so I check out what coming up for your year!

Teaching Creative Writing

I missed it, and maybe you did, too! I was featured over at Heart of the Matter on Aug. 31 with Teaching Creative Writing. Perfect timing, as I was just planning to add another WordSmithery assignment today!

I wondered why I was getting so many hits this week on WordSmithery. I thought people were suddenly just tremendously enthused about creative writing.

Stop by Heart of the Matter for other great ideas on generating creativity!

Heart of the Matter Meme: Surviving Winter

Today's meme over at Heart of the Matter asks for ways to Beat the Winter Blues. I don't really have to beat the winter blues because where I live in East Tennessee, the winters are short and mild. I grew up in upstate New York and spent five long years in Iowa, so I know winter. And I miss winter. Sometimes I even blog a lot about snow. Here, for example, is a post about our big winter excitement this year! I love Kristina's post on winter; she really goes to the heart of the matter:

"the days are shorter, the nights colder, but really, this IS what it is. I cannot imagine not embracing winter, both the good and the bad."

But I do have a few ways to beat the winter blues. It's here on my post called "Combating the January Blahs," or you can just read it here:

(from 2007)
January is made for reading books by the fireplace after playing in the snow. Candlelight, afghans, warm bread and hot soup. That sounds lovely; however, the reality is my children don’t want to sit by the fireplace and read all day (also, the fireplace is currently out of commission); candles make me nervous when children are bouncing around; my kids really don’t like soup; and I don’t bake bread much. We don’t have snow, but it’s too gray and dismal to be outside half the time. I long to be snowed in, like Huber Hof up in BC.

I’ve found that the best way to combat the Blahs is to add some serious variety into the school day. All the regular diversions are great, such as Play-dough, pattern blocks, and puzzles, but here are a selection of other activities that help us all ward off the winter doldrums:

1. Random science experiments. Forget your normal science guides and just do experiments. We get the Sonlight science kits each year, and we always have leftover supplies. I just let them spread out the stuff, which might include everything from cotton balls to circuit systems, and let them do their own thing. Also, my younger ones love to just mix stuff up: baking soda and vinegar, plus food coloring, dish soap, etc. Here’s a fun one: cover the bottom of a pie plate (preferably glass) with milk or cream (doesn’t work as well with skim milk). Put in a few drops of food coloring. Now, very carefully, add a few drops of dish detergent –and watch the kaleidoscope

2. Army guy rescue. Fill a plastic cup (preferably clear) with water, and drop in an army guy or other small plastic toy. Freeze until solid. Send the kids outside with a chisel or paint scraper (or other such tool) and let them chisel out the army guy.

3. Marshghettis: Give them a bunch of uncooked spaghetti (regular works better than thin) and mini-marshmallows and challenge them to build a bridge, an animal, a building, etc. They’ll get carried away with this one. You’ll even be able to write a blog, read a book, or—if you must—prepare dinner while they create. Also serves as snack time.

4. What’s that Smell? Put a few drops or sprinkles of several strong-smelling substances (e.g., vanilla or lemon extract, garlic, various spices, chocolate, tea bags, perfume, etc.) on Kleenxes and put them into individual Ziplocs. Let the kids guess what they smell is. (Make sure you’ve coded it somehow so you’ll know.)

5. What’s that thing? Put an object into a brown lunch sack or pillowcase. Have the kids feel it and try to figure out what it is.

6. Games. Board games, card games, whatever. Inserting a game into the middle of the school day does something wonderful to their whole day. It doesn’t have to be a 2-hour game of Monopoly; even a 10-minute game of Crazy 8s somehow lightens up the Blahs. See my post on games for a few of our favorites.

7. Field Trips. Just one special field trip in the midst of winter can satisfy for weeks. Too many field trips stress me out, but we all look forward to an out-of-the-usual-realm outing every few weeks. (I don’t count regular activities—Scouts, enrichment classes, sports, etc.—as field trips!)

8. Order of the Queen: This is a special edict issued by the Queen, whereas the day is declared “Game Day,” “Baking Day,” “Movie Day,” or such. No regular schoolwork is allowed. Print this out in an Old English-type font and roll up as a scroll to be opened at the usual start of school (if you have such a thing).

My goal is to add a few of these blah-combats during the week. One a day is overly ambitious for me, and I've learned to set my goals at a more realistic speed. Too much fun, after all, can become mundane...

Heart of the Matter Meme: Our Unique Family

This week's Heart of the Matter Online topic: The Things That Make Our Family Unique.

1. I grew up in a green, crunchy, and thrifty family. At times in my adult life I have rebelled against all of these things, especially the thrifty part. When I see people being excessively frugal or obsessive about food, I have to bite my tongue. I am quite sure that being excessive about anything can have the opposite effect on one's children. All that to say: we are a family of moderation. We are pretty green, somewhat crunchy, and Dave Ramsey followers (that has to do with the rebelling-against-thriftiness thing).

2. We actively embrace "forgive and forget." We don't hold grudges in our family and rarely remember grievances. My husband and I never dredge up "wrongs" from the past. We address issues and move on, and I think this drastically reduces the stress in our lives. I hope this is one trait that gets passed on to our kids because it sure does make life more enjoyable!

3. My husband is our weekend chef. He loves to try new recipes, but the kids always want their three favorites of his repertoire: fried rice, chicken piccata, or fettuccine Alfredo.

4. We are homebodies. We all enjoy being around people, but we wear out quickly and are glad to be back in our own home. On the other hand, we all like to do a little something out-of-the-house each day—as long as, at the end, we can come home and have down time.

5. We are quiet people—for the most part. Duncan can be the exception to this; in fact, he is often the loudest boy in a group. But for the most part, we keep the volume low, both with our own voices and with TV/music, etc.

6. We are geared toward academia. Nearly everyone in my family has been or is some kind of teacher. Dr. H. is a professor. Four out of 5 of us kids in my family once did or do now teach at some level (high school or college); our spouses are all or were teachers/professors; and our parents both have masters' degrees in education. At this point, our oldest is interested in pursuing a career in academia and our middle child thinks being a teacher would be nice...until she has her own children.

7. We are musical. We all enjoy music tremendously and have made learning instruments a priority. None of us have great singing voices, nor are we brilliant on any instruments, but we can sight-read well and enjoy the discipline of music. Besides that, we all enjoy listening to a wide variety of music. We definitely have a soundtrack running through our lives.

8. My three kids were born in three different states. These three states represent different stages in our life, and I like that we have a child from each one.

9. I try to never think this phrase: "We are behind." Some weeks we (my younger two) may only do a few hours of actual bookwork. Like this week, for example, among other things we had our enrichment classes at co-op on Monday; participated in a Veteran's Day parade and listened to talks by veterans on Tuesday; read history, had PE, and did an AHG project on Wednesday; had drama, American Heritage Girls and Cub Scouts on Thursday; and attended a fantastic day of history at the Sam Houston Schoolhouse today. We did not one lick of math or grammar. And I think my kids got a tremendous education this week.

10. We all like the computer. A lot.

Heart of the Matter Meme: Being Creative

This week's Heart of the Matter meme asks for ideas for the non-creative moms or those that think they’re not creative. "What are some of the best projects your family has done? What fun things doing you remember doing as a child? Are you naturally creative or did you have to learn? Any sites you could share? "

I'm a pretty creative mom. When we first started homeschooling, I was definitely one of those ultra-crafty moms, but I've become less and less inclined to be crafty through the years. Now I have to remind myself to do crafts with the younger two, and they get very excited when we do.

Autumn definitely brings out the creative side of me. When my kids were really little, one of their favorite things was the fall bracelet. This is so easy and somehow so thrilling to them. Just take a piece of clear packing tape and put it around their wrists. Go outside and find bits of nature to stick on the tape: bits of leaves, grass, flower petals, etc. (Sticks don't work too well; flat objects are best.) When the bracelet is fairly well loaded, cut it off and put another piece of tape over the top. Now they have a bookmark or just an autumn keepsake! Or, if they're like my kids, they won't want you to cut it off and they'll keep adding more objects to it throughout the day until it is sagging off their wrists.

Of course we always have to do leaf collections and rubbings each year. One year we did leaf rubbings in lots of different colors on white paper, glued the white paper on orange or yellow construction paper, and then covered it all with clear contact paper for placemats. You can have them label the type of tree and/or copy a fall poem onto this, as well, before covering it with contact paper.

Another perennial craft at this time of year seems to be fruit and/or vegetable stamping. You just need poster paint and a variety of fruits and/or vegetables, which you can cut into various shapes. One year we made acrostics to go with each fruit/vegetable. So, for example, we wrote an acrostic poem for apple, like

Apples
Pink lady
Pies, sauce, crumble, crisp
Love to eat you just like you are
Excellent fruit.

and then stamped the edges with various shapes cut from apples. You could do this now with pumpkins, squash, pears, potatoes, etc. or do the same thing with leaves, making your acrostic poems from the names of trees. If the kids get tired of acrostics, this would be a great time to try other form poetry like haiku or cinquain. Here's a great site that briefly introduces types of form poetry.

My favorite sites for craft ideas are Enchanted Learning (click here for autumn crafts), Crayola, and Family Fun.

In our house, though, most of my kids' creativity is self-initiated. Essential to being creative is to have an abundant supplies. We have a big tub that we call the invention box. This is where all those things go that you say, "What could we make with this?": egg cartons, styrofoam chunks, paper towel and toilet paper cardboard rolls, shoeboxes, containers of all sorts, etc. I also stock up on all the essentials each summer when the school supplies are on sale, so we have ample markers, crayons, scissors, glue, and paper. (It's a good idea to keep back some of each so that you can bring out fresh markers, etc., during the year.) I usually put fresh supplies in my younger kids' Christmas stockings, too, and also some extras like their own rolls of masking tape, poster paint, and some other exciting craft item like plastic eyeballs or pipe cleaners. We live big here.

(And that reminds me: one of my daughter's favorite gifts was when I made her a craft supply center. I just bought one of those craft/tool organizers (sort of like this) at Walmart and filled each drawer with all sorts of things: beads, glue sticks, eyeballs, ribbon, pipe cleaners, pom poms, etc.)

All that to say, if you give a kid an empty box, he'll ask for a pair of scissors. If you give him a pair of scissors, he'll ask for a piece of tape. If you give him a piece of tape, well, you know the rest.

Related posts on SmallWorld:
Celebrating Autumn Resources
Apple Unit Study
Teaching Creative Writing
Combating the January Blahs

Heart of the Matter Meme: Educational Freebie Sites

Today's Heart of the Matter Online meme asks: What great educational freebie sites do you frequently visit?

Here are some of my favorites:

* Daily Grammar Archive: This is a whole grammar curriculum, well laid out, easily accessible, and free.

* Glencoe Literature Library: Fantastic free study guides on dozens of novels, from Across Five Aprils to The Yearling, on both middle reader and high school levels.

* Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL): Another fantastic grammar and writing resource, with printable quizzes and handouts.

* Lapbooking at Squidoo: This has been by far the most helpful site for me in learning the art of lapbooks. I can always go here for ideas and a lot of free downloads.

* CurrClick: I love the free download every Monday. I have a big file of future lapbooks and notebooking pages I've downloaded. Someday maybe I'll get to them…

* Enchanted Learning: I can't possibly say how many times I've used this site over the past 9 years. I did pay the $20/annual fee for a couple of years, but I haven't for awhile. It seems like we are using my favorite site less and less as the kids get older.

* Scott Foresman Grammar and Writing Handbooks: I couldn't resist one more grammar resource. You can download entire workbooks for K-6th grade. Fabulous!

(See more educational freebie sites here at Heart of the Matter Online.)

Heart of the Matter Meme: What Have I Learned?

Today's Heart of the Matter meme asks: What is the one thing you learned that you didn't expect from homeschooling?

Two huge things jump out at me, one practical and one rather intangible. From a practical standpoint, I have learned so much, particularly in history and geography. I have only sketchy memories of history in K-12. I remember making Iroquois longhouses and bushmen villages. I remember memorizing the states and capitals, presidents and vice presidents, and the Preamble to the Constitution. History began coming alive in college, with our required Humanities program that wove together history, literature, art, music, religion, and philosophy; and, well, I also minored in history. But in the nine years we've been homeschooling, my knowledge of history and geography has increased exponentially, due largely to Sonlight's fabulous program. I continue to be amazed at the new things I learn practically every day.

And the other thing that I knew intuitively before we began homeschooling but which becomes more and more apparent to me each year: this is what life is about. I absolutely cherish these years I have with my children. I remember going through the whole, "But what about my life? What am I going to have to sacrifice?" baloney before we began homeschooling. And the answer is right here, every day. Even on the bad mom and/or bad kid days, I celebrate the freedom we have in our family. This is the very essence of life.

Heart of the Matter Meme: Extra Activities

This week's Heart of the Matter topic: Extra Activities, Helping or Hindering?

What is your weekly extra-curricular routine? Do your kids take music lessons? Sports? Are they involved in church activities? How much time does this leave for family time? Are you over-scheduled or relaxed in your outside programs? Share with us your thoughts on this!

********
This is actually one of our "down" years for outside activities. There have been years when we have had extra activities out the wazoo. But this year we have no organized sports, so that's a huge one gone. For the past many years Duncan and Laurel have done soccer, which of course takes up and evening or two and a Saturday, and swimming (Laurel only). Eliminate those and we free up evenings and the whole weekend! Also, Randy and I aren't teaching a Wednesday night class at church this year, so that is a huge difference.

We still have places to go every day.
* On Mondays we have our enrichment class program.
* On Tuesdays, Laurel has flute lessons and Jesse has his class at the community college.
* On Wednesdays, Duncan has "boot camp" at a gymnastics center (my friend takes him!), Jesse has guitar lessons and then a chemistry class all the way across town.
* On Thursdays, Laurel has a theater arts class in the morning, Jesse has his college class, and then twice each month, we have Cub Scouts and American Heritage Girls in the afternoon.
* On Fridays, Jesse has his geometry class (but he can walk to that) and we have a group of AHG girls who meet here to work on their God and Family award in the afternoon.

(A couple of things that make all of this easy: all our activities are close by. Music lessons and the community college are 2-5 minutes away. Everything else, except chemistry, is about 10 minutes away. Even chemistry is only 20 minutes away.)

In general, we've always been fiercely protective of our evenings. We love evenings at home. This year Randy and the boys are going to church on Wednesday evenings. Laurel and I stay home, which is lovely. On the 2nd and 4th Friday evenings, Randy and Jesse have Boy Scouts, but that's only for an hour or two. Weekends are blissfully free, although something usually pops up.

One big thing I've learned in the course of homeschooling is that one's choice of outside activities is a hot topic. We like to pass judgment on people who do "too much" or "too little."
This is one of those places where we all need to hike our own hike.

Recipe: Cornell Barbeque Sauce

This is the kind of barbecue that I grew up eating in upstate New York. It's known as Cornell Barbecue because it was developed at Cornell's Farm Extension program in the 1950s. My father was a professor at Cornell University and a scientist at Cornell's Agricultural Research Station in Geneva, NY. We had lots of summer barbecues at the "Station," and once each year we'd head over to Cornell U. for faculty day at the football game. Pretty much the main course was always barbecued chicken with Cornell sauce. When I got married, I had my mother hunt down the recipe and send it to me because I desperately missed it! This is so easy and so amazingly delicious. Please try it.

Cornell Chicken Barbecue Sauce

(This is for 3-4 breasts or you can use thighs, drumsticks, etc. Just double for a crowd.)

1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup oil (I use canola)
1 egg
1 1/2 TB salt
1/2 TB poultry seasoning (I've also used Jerk seasoning)
1/2 tsp. pepper

That's it! Whisk it all together and marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is even better. Grill chicken when you're ready!

I hope you try this incredibly inexpensive and easy sauce! I know it doesn't sound like much, but it is fabulous.

Heart of the Matter Meme: Father's Day Edition

June 13, 2008

Today's meme over at Heart of the Matter asks for: "your favorite picture of your husband and your kids, or your husband and yourself, or just your husband alone."

I don't know that this is necessarily my favorite picture, but this is the most recent one of Dr. H and the kids during our trip to Yorktown/Williamsburg/Jamestown. Favorite pics might be more along the lines of Dr. H. holding each baby for the first time, pushing Duncan on his bike, reading a book to Laurel, on the beach in Hawaii with Jesse... But I am feeling too lazy to hunt down those photos.

And anyway: this is us, now. This is who we are. And in this picture are just a few great things about Dr. H. as a father that I can see, and probably you can't.
• For one, Dr. H. lets our kids be who they are.
* He likes to take off his shoes and wade in the water.
* He climbs on rocks.
* He doesn't have to talk all the time. He appreciates that some moments are bettered savored in silence.
* He is laid back and relaxed, truly maintaining a policy of flexibility. On this afternoon, for example, we had planned to eat dinner at a beach-front restaurant. But the younger kids couldn't resist the draw of the water, and within 5 minutes they were too soaked for a restaurant. Instead, we ordered pizza back at the hotel.
• He grows with our children. His parenting style evolves with their different ages. He is always willing to adapt as their needs change.
* He values us.

And that, my friends, is a very short list based entirely on the photo above. I could list a hundred other qualities that make Dr. H. such an awesome father, but really, he simply is.

Heart of the Matter Meme: Favorite Homeschooling Moments

May 30, 2008

This week's meme at Heart of the Matter asks us to share our favorite homeschooling moments. I've had a lot of favorite moments that are like snapshots in this journey: reading around the sandbox, nature journaling in the Smokies in late October, reading with a newborn baby on my shoulder during our first year, playing kickball together for PE, oh, I could go on and on with these precious snapshots.

But I can also be more concrete. The moment that reading clicked with both Duncan and Laurel. I'd always inwardly scoffed at those who said, "It's so wonderful to be with your children when they learn to read!" See, Jesse had learned to read at public school, and I didn't feel as if I'd missed out on anything. But when Laurel truly began grasping reading, and then when Duncan did a few years later, I thought: "Now I get it!" And I still get those moments of pure joy when I see her reading and realize that we did that -- together.

One of my favorite moments most recently was getting Jesse's ACT scores in the mail. I have to say that this was a big one for me. We have never had our kids do standardized testing. I've always felt that we could appropriately measure their learning levels ourselves. I felt intuitively that at 15 Jesse was ready to take the ACTs. In order to take dual credit enrollment classes at our local community college (he'll get both high school credit and college credit at the same time), students have to have a composite score of 19 on the ACT. That was really our only goal: that he would score a 19. Well, let's just say that he way, way surpassed that goal.

That was a favorite moment.

But here's the thing: it's not me. God has blessed us so richly in so many ways, and having children with sharp minds is, indeed, a blessing. I don't take that for granted, and we initially felt led to homeschool largely because Jesse was such an eager learner. I saw a glimpse of his future in the public school system when, midway through first grade, he began scribbling on his math sheets out of sheer boredom with the repetition. He was seeing already what it means to "teach to the middle" of the class.

I guess, then, that those favorite moments include (but certainly aren't limited to!) the loveliness of life with our children at home--the prolonging of their childhood and our parenthood--, and those moments when we see educational successes.

Do you have a favorite moment you'd like to share? Click on the Heart of the Matter link above to share your blog post, or just post here in the comments!

Heart of the Matter Meme: Ways We Socialize

May 10, 2008

Today's Heart of the Matter Meme asks for ways we socialize. That is hilarious. How do we not socialize? I love those quiet evenings at home, socializing with just our family. Those rare evenings are a nice respite from all the other activities that we choose to do. You know: Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, American Heritage Girls, church, co-op classes, camps, sports, performing arts, and just hanging out with friends. That kind of stuff that people can do if they want to.

Or they can just stay at home and enjoy their flowers, or each other, or a good book. Some days are party days, some days aren't. What I seek: a well-balanced life.

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony."
~Thomas Merton

Post A Comment!.....

Comments

Saturday, May 10, 2008 - interesting question

Posted by Jennifer in OR (69.88.229.219)

Was the question formed to prove that homeschoolers do, in fact, socialize? I've stopped trying to answer this loaded question from people. :-)

Happy Mother's Day to you, and I hope your day is blessed!

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Saturday, May 10, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by andijeane (75.46.39.186)

Very true and aptly put!

~Andrea
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/andijeane/529567/

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Sunday, May 11, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous (66.220.103.20)

Amen to that , Sista' !

skdenfeld

Heart of the Matter Meme: Happy Habits of a Homeschooler

April 25, 2008

I must admit this meme perplexes me. How can a habit be happy? Sometimes my grammatical twitches can be smothering.

And so, habits. Good, happy habits.

* Our electronic toys rule: Two hour maximum per child on TV, computer, Playstation. None of that stuff between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. I actually make a little chart each day for my younger two so they can see how much time they've used and how much they have left. This takes out all the guesswork and put an end to that afternoon and lunchtime "Can I watch TV?" When their time is done, it's done.

* Room cleaning: The kids must all make their beds and pick up 10 things in their rooms each morning. On Saturdays, their rooms must be completely clean in order to receive their allowance.

* Reading aloud: This is such a pivotal part of our life that I forget sometimes that not everyone reads with their children for 2 or more hours each day. I can't imagine life without this. That is what I love so much about Sonlight--it's all about the reading.

* Independent work schedules: For my 5th and 9th graders, this has been a lifesaver in the past 2 years. I write down my daughter's independent work day-by-day for the week, and for my 9th grade son, I write down a list of everything that needs done for the whole week. My 9th grader does everything on his own but of course he needs to know what to do. My 5th grader works partly with me and partly on her own, so when it's time for me to work with my 1st grader, she has her list to go to.

* Craft supplies: I keep a hefty store of craft supplies of all sorts in easy access. I don't hinder their creativity by putting them up on shelves and insisting they come to me when they want to use supplies. We also have an "invention tub" that holds everything from styrofoam packing to pie tins. Paper, glue, markers, crayons--this stuff is always in a state of disarray, but they use it, by themselves, at moments like this when I am, well, blogging instead of starting school like I should be. Which brings me to...

* Flexibility: A very happy habit.

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Comments

Friday, April 25, 2008 - Great ideas!

Posted by Anonymous (69.137.69.151)

Flexibility is definitely a happy habit!

Kysha
http://humblemama.blogspot.com

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Friday, April 25, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Eileen (CoffeeBean) (67.53.76.58)

I love your electronic toys rule and chart. During the long, cold, snowy winter we just had, my 4 year old watched waaaay too much TV. I really try to limit it but it gets away from me. I think I'll do the chart. Thanks for the idea!

Eileen

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Friday, April 25, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Ellen (76.178.246.114)

My daughters would just love it if I put together an "invention tub". I'm glad to know that flexibility is a good habit. That is one that I have thankfully developed over the years.
http://ellenfunlearning.blogspot.com/

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Friday, April 25, 2008 - wonderful habits

Posted by Jennifer in OR (69.88.229.219)

I loved your list, especially the reading aloud and the invention tub!! I have one child - my oldest son - who is an inventor extraordinaire. I need to keep all his stuff in one place, so I'll be implementing this idea for sure.

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Friday, April 25, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous (74.182.210.7)

As I'm getting more and more into this homeschooling thing, I'm seeing that flexibility will need to become a habit!
I love the reading aloud and the limit on electronics!
Celly B
www.cellybbusyathome.blogspot.com

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Friday, April 25, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Suzanne (68.60.207.96)

Flexibility is definitely a happy habit!

I need to develop some of the disciplinary habits you mention here... in my own life. :)

(Not to sound "juvenile," but thanks for leaving me a comment.)

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Saturday, April 26, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by NannyJayne (72.218.240.104)

Yes - flexibility is key! And I really like your room cleaning ways - nice approach, I'll have to try it!!

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Saturday, April 26, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Margaret (68.42.29.163)

Really like your habits, especially the room cleaning! I don't do so well on that one...

Reading aloud - yes, I forget too that not everyone reads aloud like we do!

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Saturday, April 26, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by lcourtneymom (208.104.165.129)

I love your happy habits list! I'm working on the flexibilty part. Amazingly, the more years I homeschool (and the more kids I've had) I'm getting better at it. :-)

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Sunday, April 27, 2008 - follow up questions

Posted by Anonymous (67.240.142.100)

This is very helpful. Since my three are 6, 4 and almost 2, I am not quite at the delegate independent work stage. However, I do have a couple of questions.
How did you decide allowance amounts? Are they the same amount for all three kids, or do they vary depending on age?
Also, what is the "standard" for the crafty area? Do your kids know to put the stuff away when they're done? I would like to permit more access, but maybe that's just unrealistic with a toddler in the house. (marker on walls, tubs, toilets, rugs, etc.!)

:) Thanks!

Carole
www.thoughts-of-home.blogspot.com

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Sunday, April 27, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by SmallWorld (24.151.178.103)

Carole: My answer to your allowance question was so long that I made a separate post out of it:
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SmallWorld/523122/

About crafts: I have a couple of different places for crafts. I have a cabinet in the kitchen where we keep a big box of crayons, markers, glue, scissors, and paper. The can get this stuff out anytime--and put it back. We also have an enclosed sunporch which is the official craft room. The reality is, I desperately want this to be cleared of all craft materials so I can make it a sweet little place of quiet retreat. But that's for a different season of my life. For now, they have Rubbermaid-type totes for painting supplies, playdough, markers, glue, etc. and a 6-drawer plastic unit for paper, stamps, old magazines and calendars, and other supplies. A big tub holds the mentioned invention materials. We have two tables set up for them to work on. I must admit here that I am not particularly vigilant about seeing that they put their supplies away. Because the room is closed off, it is often "out of sight, out of mind." As they get older, however, I am becoming better about reminding them that "if you get it out, you put it away."

With the age of your children, I would absolutely designate a place for crafts, which is usually the kitchen table. We didn't allow the kids to have craft supplies in their rooms until they showed an acceptable degree of self-control and common sense. Flexibility in using craft supplies will come as your kids get older.

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Heart of the Matter Meme: What I've Learned from the Kids

April 18, 2008

Today's Heart of the Matter meme asks for The Things Your Child Taught You During Homeschool. Here are just a few:

• My children reflect my moods. (Yes, I said reflect, not affect.) If I am distracted, grumpy, and/or irritable, they will be, too. I should be nice all the time.

• My children are, indeed, wonderfully and fearfully made with his/her own unique personalities and needs, which will determine how they learn best. And I have to be constantly aware that what works for one child will not necessarily work for another.

• My children love me to just be in the room with them. They are thrilled with the simplest of things, like me watching a movie with them or playing a game of kickball.

• Book-learning is a lifelong process. I learn something new every single day, especially in history and geography.

• It’s much more important to show love to my child than to finish the math book.

• If I am nice, my children are nice. Did I say that one already?

• We began homeschooling for two main reasons: to provide our children with a high quality academic education and to enjoy the family flexibility to which we were accustomed (and which the public school discouraged). Nearly nine years later, our list has grown to dozens of reasons. And homeschooling, somewhere in the very early years, became about life. The academic education becomes then, not an entity unto itself, but merely one component of our life—of our constant process of learning together.

• I have forgotten that I ever wondered if I would be making a huge personal sacrifice by homeschooling. I have forgotten that I ever imagined long stretches of days, writing and gardening, while someone else taught my children at school. Why would I have ever wanted to garden without a child next to me, ready to pick a worm out of the dirt or plop a flower into a hole?

What have your children taught you through homeschooling? If you post on your own blog, be sure to leave a link at The Heart of the Matter.

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Comments

Friday, April 18, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Momtofivekids (70.109.138.3)

I enjoyed reading your post. This is the first time I've visited your blog, it looks great!
momtofivekids.blogspot.com

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Friday, April 18, 2008 - Great post

Posted by cricket (70.112.228.106)

Thank you for sharing! I love the reminder that our children just like us being there!
Be blessed!

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Friday, April 18, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous (74.182.210.7)

I love what you said about academic education not being an entity unto itself but a part of a lifestyle of lifelong learning!

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Friday, April 18, 2008 - Amen!

Posted by Anonymous (69.137.69.151)

"If I'm nice, my dc are nice." So true! Great lessons learned!

Kysha
http://humblemama.blogspot.com

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Friday, April 18, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by sadie423 (69.247.28.184)

My boys definately show my moods. If I am stressed they are too....And I agree I should be nice/happy all the time....then they would be too

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Friday, April 18, 2008 - Homeschooling

Posted by Morning Rose (71.13.147.174)

It's a blessing that our kids want to be around us all the time and enjoy our company. I love that about homeschooling. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Heart of the Matter Meme: How We Got Started in Homeschooling

April 11, 2008

Today's Meme from Heart of the Matter asks for how we got started in homeschooling. Everybody homeschools for different reasons. There is a stereotype that homeschoolers are religious fanatics or somehow on the fringe of society. Yes, a lot of people do homeschool so that they are free to interweave their values with their children's everyday learning. But there are so many other reasons why people chose to homeschool, and it is almost always a combination of several of these reasons that convict a family to homeschool.

My second oldest brother and his wife homeschooled their girls right from the start. I was a teenager then, and we all thought they were whacky--my parents were really, truly worried. This was a long time ago--over 20 years ago--when homeschooling was a relatively obscure movement. A fringe movement--religious fanatics and hippies. We were certain that my nieces were doomed for failure-- socially and academically. Another brother put his children in public school about the same time, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't until after I graduated from college--and I had certified to teach at the secondary level--and married that I met other homeschooling families. Each family that I met just completely blew me away. Yes, the kids were all well-mannered and well-behaved. But it was more than that--it was their obvious sense of confidence, their high self-esteem, and their social graces that really stuck with me. It was the closeness of the families. Our associate minister and his wife were one of these homeschooling families that God put in our path. When Jesse was about 5, I began talking with our associate minister's wife about homeschooling. She said to me, "I will always be happy to talk to you about homeschooling, but I will never pressure you or try to talk you into it. It is a decision every family has to make on its own." I loved that. I told her that I was really concerned about never having a life of my own. She just kind of smiled at me, and now I understand that smile. That smile means: "These children ARE your life."

We tucked the idea of homeschooling in the back of our minds and sent our son to public school for kindergarten when we lived in Iowa. It was a wonderful experience. It was the kind of school that I grew up in--a neighborhood school just down to block, a crossing guard at the corner that gave out candy, and a day that lasted only 2.5 hours. The kids were there to play and explore, not to pass the TCAP.

Then we moved to Knoxville, and lulled by our experience of kindergarten, sent Jesse on to first grade. Wow. Our lives changed so radically. He left at 7:15 and arrived home at 3 p.m. He had headaches every single day. He fought with his little sister and grumbled at us. He had at least 30 minutes of homework every evening--and this was in first grade! He was in bed every night by 7:30 just so that he could make it through the next day. We felt like our lives were totally dictated by the school system. Around midyear, I could begin to see what his future in school would be like. Already he was bored. He began scribbling on his math sheets. He is an extremely science-minded child, and science was almost completely left out of the classroom. Homework was a struggle every afternoon--not because it was hard, but because it was just busywork. One day when he said to me, as he had before: "Why do I have to do this Mommy" and I explained to him again that some kids needed the extra practice, so everybody has to do it, he said. "But I don't need to extra practice, Mommy! Why do I have to do it?" And I realized--why DOES he have to do it? He was absolutely right! I was convinced then that we had to homeschool. Interestingly, up until that point, Dr. H. had not been at all convinced that homeschooling was a positive option, although we'd tossed the idea around since our son was born. But after just a few months of public school here, he was utterly convicted that this was the right decision. I had less than a year to figure out how to do it, but I was very determined.

I began by doing internet research: hooking up with discussion groups, visiting every possible site on homeschooling, just seeing what was out there. I spent many afternoons with my sister-in-law and another homeschooling mom, talking about various aspects of homeschooling. I read a lot of books, and eventually I decided on what style and curriculum would work best for us. Jesse finished up first grade in Knoxville and then we moved to Blount County and began homeschooling in the fall.

The first year was hard. I was pregnant and I had a toddler. I was physically exhausted! But we fell into what worked best for us, and it was such pure joy to watch my child learn to love learning all over again. We joined our local support group and found an amazing support system. We have NEVER looked back.

Whatever initially leads parents to make this choice, homeschooling nearly always evolves into something far more than an alternative educational choice -- it becomes a lifestyle choice of personal responsibility and freedom and incredible joy within a close family life.

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Comments

Friday, April 11, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous (12.227.138.78)

"it becomes a lifestyle choice of personal responsibility and freedom and incredible joy within a close family life." So well put! That pretty much says it all right there. Thanks for sharing your story. Julie http://funinthesunmom.blogspot.com

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Friday, April 11, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous (71.215.183.90)

Yep. Loved that last line, too. I might have to quote you sometime. :) Thanks for sharing your story. I can't imagine my son in Kindergarten or 1st grade. Wouldn't be a good combo...

Heidi @ Mt. Hope

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Friday, April 11, 2008 - Homeschooling

Posted by Morning Rose (71.13.147.174)

Thanks for sharing your story. Our story has some similarities. Our older son was in a traditional school through first grade also, when we decided to homeschool both our boys. I didn't understand why first graders had homework too. What did they do in school all day?

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Ellen (76.178.246.114)

When we started homeschooling my parents thought that we were wacky, too, and that we might get arrested. They see things differently now that my sister's boys have horror stories about being in school. A few months ago, my sister finally brought her boys home, too. The grandparents are now very happy that all of their grandkids are home educated.
http://ellenfunlearning.blogspot.com/

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Sunday, April 13, 2008 - great story!

Posted by Jennifer in OR (69.88.229.219)

Thanks for sharing this; I can relate to many parts. It's funny how our perceptions change once we're dealing with our own children!

That First Year: What I Wish I'd Known

March 21, 2008

This Friday's meme at The Heart of the Matter asks: what do you wish you'd known your first year of homeschooling?

I haven't read any of the other blog participants' answers yet, but I can guess many of them have the same theme: I wish I'd been more relaxed. That first year was hard in so many ways, as I know it is for many people. We'd just moved to a new house in a new city (translation: I had no friends). I had a new baby mid-year and a 3-year-old plus my second-grader. My life was wonderful; I was thrilled with my little family and thrilled to have them all at home, but I was cranky in that "I'm so tired and I have no friends" kind of way. I should have been more relaxed and just enjoyed them more.

And academically, well, I was very happy with 90% of my curriculum (Sonlight), but I distinctly remember feeling as if I had to do every single thing (even though Sonlight clearly says, "This is just a suggestion! You don't have to do everything in this guide!"). Jesse hated dictation and narration. And math--phew. I'd make the poor boy do every single problem and time him on his Saxon drills, as suggested. I hadn't yet learned that he wouldn't miss out if I didn't do every single thing.

Fortunately, I learned quickly. By year two I found my pace and factored in "flexibility" as our family motto.
Boy, my younger two kids are lucky. I am a squishy relaxed mama now. I can't even fathom giving Duncan, my first-grader, a timed worksheet. My 5th grader likes being timed for math drills, but a 10-year-old who enjoys being timed is a far cry from a 7-year-old who gets a tummy-ache from being timed.

Relax. As the Chinese proverb says: "Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are."

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Comments

Friday, March 21, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Margaret (68.42.29.163)

Great post. I agree with your sentiments!

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Friday, March 21, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous (205.188.117.19)

I can totally identify with how you feel. I am dealing with similar feelings now after moving and starting to home school. I feel like I never leave the house! I'm working on it though.

Melinda
http://www.shoresend.blogspot.com

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Friday, March 21, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous (98.218.29.229)

LOL, I ditched the Sonlight teacher's guide a few months into pre-k. I ended up switching to KONOS, which has a hundred times the ideas. Go figure.

Deb
www.AsWeWalk.typepad.com

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Friday, March 21, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by lcourtneymom (208.104.149.27)

I definitely think I should have been more relaxed and just enjoyed my dc being little! People ask me know if I am going to "do real school" with my soon to be 4 yo next year. You know, I'm just going to let her be a little kid as long as she can. She's already learning so much.

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Saturday, March 22, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous (12.215.135.18)

Yup, as I read through all of the posts, "Relax" is the number one anser!! ; )
It is SO hard to do...but, time does seem to be the antidote.
Thanks for sharing!! : )
Heidi
www.jhcckkm.wordpress.com